BellaOnline Forums Beauty and Self Body Art Nose Piercing. Pls help.

Hi everyone.
I had my nose pierced on Dec. 23, 2005. The piercer put in a stainless steel stud (the one with a diamond and a ball at the other end) 2 days later the diamond fell off, so I took off the stud and replaced it with a similar sterling silver stud. At around a week ago, it started getting swollen and started to leak clear to yellowish stuff. I put some hydrogen peroxide and it calmed down a bit. Ever since I had it pierced though, I have had a bump that looks like a pimple inside my nostril and because of this, my stud won't go all the way in (its not long enough). I have to be pushing the stud in so it won't fall out or stick out to much. I am now cleaning it with sea salt and hot water. Every time I clean the bump inside my nose, it starts to bleed a little. Is this normal? And should I use a different nose stud so it wont fall out or stick out? What do you all recommend I should do. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.

This is going to sound a little nuts but make a paste out of asprin and water (crush up a few asprin pills and add a little water- if it's too runny, add another crushed asprin). Put this on the bump a couple of times a day (it's called a keloid or a ketoid- something like that). It will go away within a week. You can check with Spectrum tattoo in Sidney Ohio on this- ask for Babbs or Jarvey and tell them your problem- they are listed in the yellow pages on Dogpile. Also, I think sterling silver is bad for a new piercing. Buy some new jewlery- stainless or surgical steel- and use antibacterial soap instead of peroxide- just be sure you don't let the jewelry slip out... I've done that! Good luck.

Thanks for the post, I will try using the paste you mentioned starting today. I also had another question.....you know how I mentioned that my stud won't go all the way in....am I supposed to push my stud so it will go thru the keloid? Cause I'm thinking that my pierce might close on the inside of my nostril. I've done this and it always makes me bleed. I'm getting frustrated and thinking of taking it off. Is anyone else having this problem?

If your keloid is on the inside that paste will make your nose run and you'll sneeze a lot but it should still work- if your stud won't fit through you will probably have to get it repierced- I would consider getting it done on the other side (if you repierce the same spot it will have scar tissue and will have more problems than a fresh piercing). Sounds like you should visit a reputable shop and get their take. I have had mine done in the same spot 3 times (previous note about letting it slip out...) so I have some scar tissue and thickness in that area. There is a HUGE difference from one piercist to another so get references- if the piercing hurt to get done, you can fine a better, more experienced piercist- it shouldn't hurt hardly at all. And the needle should be ultra sharp. Buy good jewelry and start a good care regimen with mild anti-bacterial soap once a day and either Bactine or Band-Aid antiseptic solution and a Q-tip once a day. If you're having these problems you may want to just let it close up an heal and either get the other side done or wait a month and get it repierced. Good Luck.

Oh- and if you are bleeding I wouldn't recommend using the asprin paste on the inside of your nose. I have only used it on skin with no cuts or tears.

Yesterday I went to a different piercing place and told them my problem. They said that the pierce was done too high. They suggested to put in a screw stud...so they did. The screw stud went thru the bump. Now it looks a lot better on the outside than before. They told me to clean it with soap and water 3 times a day and the bump would go away by itself. They also mentioned to buy a liquid called H2Ocean or something like that. Which I'll probably go buy today. Hope this works for me.

Sterling silver metal is not suitable for healing piercings as it tarnishes a lot and tends to irritate the piercing. Your starter jewelry should be surgical stainless steel or 14k gold, or titanium or niobium.

Never apply aspirin to anything that is bleeding, as it thins the blood and prevents clotting somewhat, making you bleed more.

If the jewelry rubs against your nose, this friction will cause a bump called a keloid, which is a type of scar tissue. Many people like to wear rings when first healing nost piercings as they allow more room for cleaning and fresh air to get to the piercing and they rub less.

You can read about how to get rid of keloids in the Nose Piercing eBook, http://www.bellaonline.com/ebooks/ebook33

Rae- I was told that sterling silver nose rings can permanently discolor the skin- do you know if that's true?

Quick Update: Last night I took off my screw stud. The small bump on the outside of my nose grew and was bleeding. And the one on the inside had not changed. I made an appointment with a doctor today. I'll keep ya'll posted on what he said.

I've never known anyone who had a permanent discoloration from wearing sterling silver, but I do know folks who have skin reactions and piercings that get irritated from it.